1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an apparatus and a method of automatic cooking, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method of automatic cooking of food using an automatic cooking algorithm.
2. Description of the Related Art
A basic method of cooking buckwheat, which is a type of hulled grain, is to put buckwheat and a proper amount of water in a vessel, and steam the buckwheat by heating the vessel. If heat is directly applied to the vessel that contains the buckwheat and the water, the heat is transmitted through the vessel, so the water contained in the vessel is boiled. While the water is boiling, the buckwheat is cooked to become edible. However, if the buckwheat is heated at an extremely high temperature for a long time during cooking, an optimal cooking quality of the buckwheat may not be obtained. Accordingly, the cooking of the buckwheat should be carried out while heating power is reduced in stages in order to obtain a satisfactory cooking quality of the buckwheat. Additionally, a cooking result depends on respective durations of the cooking stages.
When buckwheat is cooked, a gas/electric equipment, such as a cooking top, is generally used to heat a vessel containing the buckwheat. Notwithstanding that the cooking quality of the buckwheat depends on the precise control of applied heating power and cooking time for which the buckwheat is cooked, the cooking of the buckwheat is carried out depending on the judgment of a cook, so the optimal and uniform cooking quality of the buckwheat is not easily obtained. Additionally, a cook should control heating power and ascertain the cooking state of the buckwheat while standing by beside the cooking equipment, so the cook may not do other things until cooking is terminated. That is, the cook may not effectively manage the cooking time of the buckwheat.